The head of the European Union delegation to Turkey, Ambassador Christian Berger, said the alignment of Turkish products with EU standards is over 98 percent.

In a statement, Berger said that the entry into force of the customs union with the EU in January 1996 was a significant incentive for Turkey to align its legislation with the acquis in various areas of the domestic market, from competition law to intellectual property rights.

"Turkish technical legislation is now in line with the EU. Turkey has completed most of the EU technical legislation concerning the alignment in the first part of the acquis communautaire on the free movement of goods," he said. "Turkish products' alignment with the EU standards is over 98 percent. The Turkish Standards Institute is a full member of the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC)."

For that reason, Berger said that Turkish companies produce their products in the same regulatory environment as the EU, stressing that when the export performance of the Turkish manufacturing industry to the EU is analyzed, the production in the Turkish industrial sector generally meets EU standards.

Berger stressed that the trade between the EU and Turkey steadily increased from 129.2 billion euros ($144.9 billion) in 2014 to 154.6 billion euros in 2017 and stood at 153.3 billion euros in 2018 when half of the Turkish exports were directed to the EU. "Even though Turkey has expanded its export markets in the last 10 years, the EU remains a safe and appealing market for Turkish exporters and therefore maintains its position as the main trading partner of Turkey," he continued.

"Certainly, the customs union and Turkey's gradual alignment with EU legislation have contributed significantly to the strengthening of bilateral trade relations. The establishment of the customs union has facilitated Turkey's integration into European supply and production chains, particularly in sectors such as automotive, textile and electronics."

Ambassador Berger said that the strong trade relationship between the EU and Turkey was expected to continue in the future and stressed that the modernization of the customs union would have a positive impact on both the EU and Turkey.

"The GDP will increase by about 0.01 percent for the EU and 1.44 percent for Turkey," he noted in reference to the contribution of a modernized customs union to the Turkish and EU economies.